The next day, the City was abuzz with curious conversations.

Throughout his shift at the restaurant, Jason overheard multiple people discussing the rumours that'd come from the temple grounds last night. Some said that the Speakers had received a message, direct from Skypillar itself. Others were inclined to disagree, saying that they'd heard the Speakers had all been in a trance, crying out various nonsensical words as the auroras continued above them.

Yet again, Jason found himself amazed at the speed at which the rumours spread. He had inside links to the temple and most of these rumours remained new to him, accurate or not. Perhaps that's all they were--rumours--but given recent events and a certain leak at the temple that Jason still hadn't quite figured out, Jason found himself hesitant to dismiss things so easily.

He continued to listen as he worked, storing every little detail away in the back of his mind. His rhythm only broke as, sometime after midday, he nearly dropped a set of plates he'd been carrying as his tattoo went cold.

Manifested.

Jason stumbled as the sudden cold hit him, apologising to the nearby customer he'd startled. He quickly regained his poise and headed back to the kitchen, plates firmly in hand as the first chime of the bells rang out. The bells were far--Inner Aeledrae, if he was correct. By the second, he had an excuse prepared to step out of the restaurant, but the third chime of the bells never came.

Hopeful that DragonFae and Golem's arrival had silenced the bells, Jason kept a careful eye on the time and continued with his duties. Five minutes, he told himself. Five minutes, then perhaps he'd step out to ensure that Cryo's assistance was not required.

Exactly four minutes and thirty-eight seconds later, the chill on his tattoo vanished.

With a small sigh of relief, Jason finished scraping the leftover food from the plates and headed back out onto the floor.

The rest of his shift flew by quickly, with rumours quickly evolving to include the Manifested. Without glancing at his Liaiser, Jason knew that DragonFae and Golem had indeed been the ones to cleanse the Manifested, a teenage boy with some kind of slime-related powers. Apparently, the slime had made it nearly impossible for Golem to move, but DragonFae's ethereal, intangible avatar had proven immune and made short work of it.

What concerned him more was that people were claiming to have seen Banshee, lurking in the shadows of the battle. Aside from a few brief mentions, however, there was an infuriating lack of solid detail. Speculation was everywhere, but every sentence began with an I think that or I wonder if followed by opinions that dragged his partners name through the mud.

When the end of Jason's shift came, it was still bothering him.

He headed into the staff room and quickly changed out of his uniform, carefully removing the pouch he'd carried with him all day. A quick glance inside confirmed that Viri was still inactive. Any hopes he had that the aurora's mentions of Banshee might've changed something for her quickly faded.

With a small, reluctant exhale, he closed the pouch again, keeping it close as he folded the uniform and placed it away.

Mark entered the staff room as Jason was pulling on his coat. "Rather hectic day today, wasn't it?"

"It was quite busy," said Jason.

Mark slung the small hand towel he'd been holding over his shoulder. "A day that's left even me frazzled, and you're still as cool as a Cryophoenix."

"I'm not the one managing front of house," said Jason. "I'd imagine I'd share your frazzled state if I were."

"I don't know," said Mark. He put a hand on his hip. "I'm constantly in awe of your ability to handle high-pressure situations and make it look easy. Perhaps it won't be long until Vincent is offering my job to you. What's your secret?"

Jason managed a thin smile. He knew Mark was joking, trying to bring out the lighter side of the heavy atmosphere sitting on Jason's shoulders, but really, what were a few grumpy diners compared to a Manifested attempting to melt your face off with coffee? "I doubt your job is in danger. I'd have to show up far more consistently to steal it from you." He cleared his throat. "I do apo--"

Mark held up a hand. "If you apologise again, I'm going to tell Vincent." He considered that for a moment. "And if that doesn't scare you--I'll tell Olivia."

"Please don't. It'd be nice if the both of us were conscious at the same time for once."

Mark laughed at that. "Where are you headed to now?"

"I have business at the temple," said Jason as he checked his pockets. Liaiser, pouch hiding his partner's Ascended, hair ties. Check, check, and--damn, he'd lost another one, but he still had a spare. "I expect it'll take me at least a few hours."

"And after?" said Mark. "Have you considered my offer about moving in with me?"

"I haven't put much thought into it, if I'm honest," said Jason. "I've been somewhat distracted with other responsibilities recently, I apologise."

"What did I say about apologising?" said Mark, raising an eyebrow. "Though I may have to look into renting the room out within the next two weeks, so if you'd like it, please let me know before then."

"I will. Thank you, Mark. I'll see you later."

"Skypillar be with you, Jason."

Mark returned to the floor, and after quickly replying to a message he'd received during his shift, Jason headed out into the streets, making a distinct effort to remain focused on his whereabouts.

He didn't go directly to the temple. Instead, he headed towards Sylrael, and soon arrived at a pre-arranged meeting place to find Lucian sitting on their usual bench, leaning back, relaxed with his attention firmly fixed on the Liaiser in his hand.

Lucian was easy to spot, with his distinct hair style. Jason had never quite understood the blonde-on-top, dark-on-the-sides look, but Lucian had the kind of confidence that could have made anything work. Right now, that also included what looked like his Pillarguard training gear--a tight-fitted, long-sleeve shirt with loose pants. For anyone else, it wasn't anything special. On Lucian, it turned most female heads that passed him with a giggle.

Jason called out when he was within a few metres and Lucian still hadn't looked up. "Stonepillar, anyone would think you'd pay a little more attention to your surroundings."

Lucian didn't glance up, but a smile found its way across his face. "Ah, but Frostsong, feigning ignorance is the best way to catch your opponent off guard. If they expect no resistance, they are far easier to handle."

Jason sat down beside Lucian, who finally put his Liaiser down on his lap.

"Haven't seen you in a while," said Lucian. "Had to resort to asking Regan of all people if he knew where you were. He spun me a pretty little lie. Wasn't til I brought Ariel along with me that he admitted he had no idea."

"Ariel does tend to have that effect on people."

Lucian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, what's been going on? Last I saw you, you had this fancy new coat you're wearing now. Now I'm hearing stories that you were fighting in Kaladrel, then something about bringing Olivia back?"

So Jason told him.

He told Lucian about how he'd been attacked in Kaladrel and dragged into a basement by the Serpent's followers. He told him how he'd come to, believing Banshee had rescued him, only to discover that the real Banshee had been kidnapped and replaced--not only Banshee, but Olivia, too. He told Lucian about the night he'd been working at the restaurant, about the government officials demanding Olivia prove she was not Banshee, who had attacked and nearly killed his mother. He told Lucian about Adande, about Ella, and how they'd found Olivia before ending at his hospital visit with Regan last night.

He couldn't tell Lucian everything, but somehow, it was enough right now to just be Jason. It was enough to be allowed to speak and simply describe his feelings to the one person he'd considered a true friend for the last decade. Lucian didn't interrupt, except to ask the occasional question.

When Jason was done, he waited.

Lucian leaned back on the bench once more, stroking the side of his face for a moment before he spoke. "Man, and I thought I had some stories from Pillarguard training. You really just had to go and one-up me, didn't you, Frostsong?"

Jason managed a wry smile. "I believe it's far more than a simple 'one-up' at this point."

Lucian laughed. "Well, I can't argue with that." He paused, releasing a quiet breath. "How are you coping with all of this, by the way?"

"I'm... working through it, I suppose," said Jason quietly. "A lot of it is still processing."

"If you ever need downtime, you can come hang out with me," said Lucian, nudging Jason in the arm with his fist. "I've been starting to think you hate me or something. We haven't sassed the High Speakers in mumbled whispers in weeks."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "I never sassed anyone, and I'm certainly not going to start now your girlfriend is the High Cloudspeaker."

"Ah. You do have a valid point."

"But I'm afraid my downtime is still rather limited," Jason continued. He considered his next words carefully before he spoke them, ensuring they were something he wanted Lucian involved in. "You're aware of Olivia's Songstress ability, yes?"

"More or less from what Taylor's told me," said Lucian. "Why?"

"The auroras are more than mere lights or energy," said Jason quietly. His eyes betrayed him, looking up to search the skies even though they were yet to darken. "The auroras have a presence within them, a sentient being, and she's been trying to communicate with Olivia since the festival. She's incredibly powerful, and I'm not yet aware of her motives."

"Who, Olivia?" said Lucian.

"No," said Jason. "The presence calls herself Aurora. Olivia and I aren't yet sure of her intentions, but Aurora has pulled both Olivia and myself into visions of what I can only assume are her memories. She seems to be trying to warn us of some impending disaster, though I think she fails to realise how overwhelming her power is. It's hard to make sense of anything."

"And all this is why you messaged me earlier wanting to head to the temple," said Lucian, stroking his face once more. "Coming from anyone else, I'd question their sanity, but I know you better than than that, and with what Taylor's been saying about the auroras, in the past week especially... it makes me wonder."

"What has Taylor said?"

Lucian leaned forward and reached under the bench, pulling out a pair of familiar rollerblades and dangling them from the tips of his fingers. "How about you put these on, and I'll tell you on the way over?"

Jason secured the rollerblades to his boots and stood up, testing his balance. "They still fit well."

Lucian grinned back at him. "Sure you remember how to use those things?"

It'd been several months since they'd been on his feet, but already they felt right. "I seem to remember that I had no trouble keeping up with you, Stonepillar."

Despite his confidence, it still took Jason a few minutes to find his confidence on the blades again. It was strange to remember the forgotten movements, the balance, the minor adjustments that slowly melted his movements into the same ease as Lucian.

A flash of memory darted through his mind: Olivia, dancing on her blades at the competition.

She'd been beautiful to watch. Graceful, easy movements, yet still completely stuffed with that something extra that made them purely Olivia. Regret tinged the memory dark as he recalled the burning resentment that lingered in the tension of his muscles, a resentment that had become a spiteful smirk as he'd watched her slow, then fall, then seize.

One day, somehow, he'd have to make it up to her for that.

When Jason became comfortable enough on his rollerblades to hold a conversation, Lucian started listing off the various things he could recall hearing from both Taylor and Ariel. It wasn't as informative as Jason might have hoped for with Lucian's limited understanding of the topic, but it did provide some interesting points.

Apparently, it wasn't just the High Speakers gleaning messages from within the auroras. Other Speakers, even those of inactive Aspects had seen things that didn't make a great deal of sense, but had been widespread enough that they couldn't simply be dismissed as mistakes. More than one Speaker came out of their trance whispering of Banshee, of a darkness, and of the frozen chill that could banish it.

Jason did not like the implications of that.

In exchange, Jason answered Lucian's questions about Aurora and the visions. He mentioned that it appeared her memories were from the first civilisation. He talked about the incredibly powerful Centaur they'd seen, about the barrier, about Aurora herself. It wasn't until he described the darkness, the flashes of a rising doom that had annihilated the City from Aurora's memories that Lucian's questions hesitated.

"They could be tied together," said Lucian eventually. "What the Speakers are seeing, and what Aurora has shown you--they're both coming from her. Did you see exactly how...?"

Jason shook his head. "They're only glimpses, and it's like trying to watch a two hour movie within the space of two seconds. It's impossible to tell exactly what you're looking at, even if you'd seen it before."

"Do you think Olivia might be able to figure it out?"

"She'd have a better chance at understanding it than I would." Assuming, of course, Aurora doesn't destroy her in the process.

Jason drew in a breath and banished the thought from his mind.

Olivia was strong.

If anyone could survive Aurora's power, it was going to be her.

*+*+*+*

Olivia was going to kill Aurora.

How, exactly, did one go about murdering what appeared to be the immortal, deified spirit of the most condescending, sarcastic being who ever lived?

Aurora still couldn't speak, but oh boy did she know how to communicate her displeasure. A raised eyebrow. The slightest flick of her eyes. A hand on the hip with juuuust enough sass to really get across her utter exasperation.

Maybe it was just the fact that Aurora was starting to look far more human than she had the last time Jason was here. Aurora's silvery sheen was almost completely gone, leaving her flawless features on perfect display for Olivia to take in every starlight-dimming detail.

Aurora's skin, hair and eyes remained the same starlight-silver they'd always been. Her garments were perfect--a tunic with flowing sleeves, leggings, and thigh-high boots woven from beautifully fitting fabrics of white and the palest blue, all embroidered with silver. Small, delicate crystals were scattered in well-spaced lines around her body in groups of three--down her torso, on her thighs, down her arms. The only exceptions were the patterns on her sternum and forehead. There, a large crystal sat centered in each, accompanied by two, far smaller crystals.

She was also rocking some kind of long-crystal looking headpiece that looked weirdly familiar, but at this point Olivia was too done to care.

They hadn't progressed. She hadn't learned.

And Aurora just kept showing her that one scene of the boy she knew she'd lose, like it was supposed to motivate her to just figure it out herself.

"What do you want from me?" said Olivia, raking her fingers down her cheeks. "I get it! I understand the consequences, but waving it in my face is not gonna help anyone!"

Aurora just continued to stand there in all her disappointed splendour, glaring at Olivia like it was her problem.

But you know what? Olivia was done. She was done.

She'd had enough of being dragged through Aurora's nightmares and told they were her problem. She'd had enough of hallucinations and dreams and Songs and silver mist and this feeling of dread that was clawing away at what was left of her soul.

So when Aurora lifted her hand again, Olivia automatically dropped into Banshee's favourite defensive stance.

She found her fingers curling around imaginary daggers. She could almost feel their weight in her hands, their balance, their strength.

"I'm not going in again," said Olivia. "I want to stop, at least for right now. I need a break before one of us dies."

Aurora narrowed her eyes. Even if they couldn't communicate directly, they'd become rather good at figuring out what the other one was feeling. A piece of Aurora's Song washed over Olivia's ears, filling her head with its sweet music, but Olivia shook it off.

"I'm not going in!" Olivia said, louder this time. Her voice wasn't just words anymore. The mist around her was seeping in, changing them. Maybe that's all it'd take--time--before she could understand Aurora, but for now, she'd spared all the time she could stand. "Let me out, Aurora."

Once more, Aurora tried to reach forward and take Olivia's hand, just like she had every other time the past hundred dives.

This time, however, Olivia raised her hand first.

She was only mildly surprised to find Grief in her grip. The dagger didn't look like it usually did, but she recognised it regardless. Its usual black, crimson, and gold wrapped hilt was silver wrapped with shadow, while the blade itself was finer, more of an artisan's work than the practical tool she'd always thought it to be.

It wasn't simply Grief, either. It was also Joy, along with the rest of her garments. There were crystals, not unlike Aurora's on the backs of her own hands, on her boots and tunic and chest. The tips of her hair were well past her shoulders and white.

Aurora hesitated.

"I'm leaving," said Olivia again.

With an impassive expression, Aurora stepped back.

She held out a hand in front of her as if to say, fine. Leave, if you can even figure out how.

Olivia glanced around. There were shadows, even here in this realm of mist and silver. Shadows--not around her, but inside her.

Olivia closed her eyes, and reached inside. She grabbed onto something that she wasn't quite sure what it was, but it felt like Banshee's shadow and smoke. It felt like freedom, the freedom to burn and turn herself to ash if she so wished it.

She sang their Song to pull them free, barely a few bars of melody, but it was enough. They rose out of her, embracing her, clinging to her to survive in this land of light. They grew, climbing her body likes vines claiming a wall.

Take me out of here, she told them.

Olivia had just enough time to open her eyes before the shadows obeyed.

Aurora was staggering away from her, clutching at the crystals on her left wrist and forearm. Beams of white light streamed through her fingers from the damaged crystals, and it was then that Olivia realised--Aurora was bleeding.

Olivia tried to step from the shadows, but they were swirled too far into the storm of her Song for her to pull back.

She had just enough time to watch as Aurora fell, scattering the silver mist in rolling waves as she hit the ground, her fingers falling away to leave the beaming, bleeding light pouring out of her body.

The shadows pulled Olivia away into the darkness of her unconscious mind, exactly as she'd asked them to.

*+*+*+*

Jason and Lucian arrived at the temple grounds a little earlier than they needed to.

It gave them time to seek out Ariel and gain her permission to watch the Speaking ceremony from the inner ring of buildings, giving them a view of both the High Speakers in the inner courtyard, and the other Speakers in the outer.

The temple was far more crowded than Jason was used to. He supposed to was largely due to the rumours. An influx of people was not uncommon after the Speakers had seen something deemed particularly important. Usually, he'd expect the larger crowds to be buzzing with excited chatter and speculations. These crowds were scared. No doubt they saw the Speaker's recent spike in speakings as an ill omen for the events to come.

Still, Jason and Lucian kept to themselves and found a quiet place to stand and watch.

They waited.

And they waited.

And they waited.

Twilight darkened the skies. The stars opened their eyes to wink at the world below.

The auroras did not appear.

*+*+*+*

A/N - U h o h.